Finally making some progress on these Oscar nominees. Elio (Timothee Chalamet) is a seventeen-year-old boy living with his parents in a type of intellectual bohemianism in northern Italy. At first he is resentful of his father's (Micheal Stuhlbarg) new grad student, Oliver (Armie Hammer), taking over his room and garnering attention from the local girls, but soon Elio realizes he is also attracted to Oliver. Over the course of the summer, their affection grows from a fling to a real connection.
I'm kind of over coming-of-age/sexual awakening movies. They tend to follow the exact same beats, whether they are comedies or dramas, gay or straight, and never in any way bear resemblance to my personal experience. Maybe I'm atypical or maybe they're overwhelmingly about men, I don't know. But I find them boring. Also, what is up with dudes fucking food? Is that just a facet of teenage boyhood that is universal and I've just never been made aware? Stop putting your dicks in things people eat! That's unsanitary!
Hammer and Chalamet have undeniable chemistry and the film itself is lovely to look at. Stuhlbarg is once again putting in great presence in roles that don't deserve him. In particular, he gives probably the best "dad" speech I've ever seen on film which almost makes up for him having very little to do the rest of the time.
Other than the bizarre sexual gratification with peaches, this is a pleasant, innocuous teenage exploration of desire. If that's your bag, have at it.
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